Arch support



April 16, 1929.

Filed May 12, 1924 f 1 m I V H I fizz/622222 15 H/ 5 flSIPQgIana Patented Apr. 16, 1929.

UNITED? fsr TES (JOSEPH a SKOGLUND, or sr. u. immunso'ra. i

' ARCH SUPPORT.

Application filed May 12,.

My invention arch supports. An object of the invention is to provide an improved and relatively simple and inrelates to improvements in expensive device; of the present nature de-.

spondingly stretched; Figgflis a central,

signed to be worn with comfort upon the foot and adapted to effectively reinforcethe trans-i verse. and longitudinal arches thereof. H

With the foregoing and otherobjects in view, which willappear in the following description, the invention resides in the novel combination and arrangement of parts and in the. details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

Inthe drawing, Fig. 1 is an elevational view of an arch support embodyingmy invention, the samebeing illustratedas worn with1n a shoe; F 1g. 2 1s a perspect ve V ew of thesupport. showing the form' thereof that is naturally assumed in the absence of the ap plication'of any force thereto; Fig. 3 is also a perspective view of the support, but in this view the butt of the pad is shown as being flattened andthe elastic band,;betwe en the, longitudinal margins of. said pad, correlongitudinal sectional view of the support, Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, transverse sectional View taken as on the line 5-5 of'Fig. 4i Figs. 6 and? are similar views, the former show-- ingthe pad arched transversely on a wearers' foot with the weight removedtherefrom, the.

latter showing the position assumedby said. pad under the .weight of the wearer and Fig. 8 is aperspective view'of the arch bracing ,pad, the top thereofbeing turned back to being seamed at its ends to the ends. of the.

instep engaging portion-. a to complete the band. The top portion a is peculiarly step.

1924. SeIiaINo. 712,600...

PATENT oFrIcE- formed in that the upper and lower edges are c utlow,-as shown, and in that said portlon 1s perforated as at 10..-.By.thus shaping said upper and lower edges ofsaidportion a, the same isv brought welldown on the top of the foot, .where the slope thereof is less pro- :nounced. This promotes comfort in the wear ngofsa1d band A and at thesame time provides fOr the normal positioning of the ends ofthe band vportiona as shown in Fig. 1,

vwhereby the tension of theband at the bot 'tom of the foot is applied substantially upward and .well back in. the main arch. In addition to lowering the area of contact on the top of the foot, the-non-elastic portion alof the band avoids drawing of the foot and, be-- lug-perforated, as explained, ventilates the foot throughout the engaged'area of the in- The band A, though preferably'associated with the pad B, serves in itself as a transverse archsupport, the elasticity of the band operating to yieldinglypreve'nt the lateral spreading of thefoot, whereby said arch 'is sustained. The pad B includes elongated top and bot- .tom pieces 11, 12, of leather or other flexible material, said pieces being joined at their margins by stitching or otherwise. Said pad B reachesforjwardly ofthe'band A, the shank b of thefpad beingsecuredtransversely ofv the band A and at the bottom of theelastic portion a thereof. The attachment of the pad B to the band A is madeby sewing one to the other. VViththeshank b of-thev pad B flat, the band portion a is sewed to one side edge of said shankas by-a seam13 (Fig. 3),

the other side-edge of the shank band band portion a? beingunited with a sean'n'as at 14, after the band portion a has been stretched to that extent approximating the" degree to which said portion is stretched,

whenthe bandA is applied toa foot. JThe rearwa'rdiend of the. shank bfall-ing short of the rearward edge oftheband portion-a? (Fig. 4), 1s sewed "to sa d portion a longi tudinally thereof as by means of a seam -15.

The band A and pad B being thus united results in'the constant tendency of the pad B to arch upward against-the longitudinal arch of the foot. Thisconstruction is otherwise,

advantageous, since it permits of the use of maximum lengths of elastic in the band, whereby thickness of the stOck may be held to the minimum in the promotion of comfort to the wearer, without sacrificing any essential part of the gripping action of said band upon the foot.

Encased within the forward end of the pad B, between the top and bottom pieces 11 and 12 thereof is a cushioning device 0, (Fig. 8), which consists of a form retaining body 16 of stiff leather, pressed metal or other material formed with a convex upper surface.

Traversing said body 16 and the forward end i of the pad 13 to which said body 16 is medial 1y applied, isan'arched spring leaf 17,the ends thereof projecting beyond the sides of the body 16 in wing-like fashion. Said ends of said leaf 17 conform with the contour of the upper convex surface of the body 16.

Being secured to said body and to the bottom piece 12 of the pad B by rivets 18'binding together all of said parts 16, 17 and 12,Isaid leaf 17 and body 16 together supply a yielding arch-likereinforcement for the forward end With the band A in place on a wearers foot, said band operates to prevent the spreading of the foot and thereby sustain the transverse arch, as above explained;

Thepad B secured to said band A and actuated thereby to arch the same longitudinal- 'ly at the shank thereof, yieldingly bears upi of the feet caused by falling archesi I Changes in the specific form of my inven wardly against the longitudinal arch of the foot, thus acting to support said arch; Lo-

cated beneath the metatarsal bones, the cushion device 0, withinthe forward end of the pad I3, operates to yieldingly' sustain the metatarsal arch.

From the foregoing, it will be understood that my improved arch support may be readily applied to the foot and comfortably worn thereon without danger of displacement and thatthe support afforded bysaid device to the transverse, longitudinal and metatarsal arches of the foot will tend to protect-the wearer against and correct those impairments tion, as herein disclosed, may be made within the scope of what is claimedwithout-departing from the spirit of my invention.

Ilaving described myinvention, what I claim'as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent isz 3 1. Ina device of the class described, a yielding foot encircling band and an elongated 1 arch bracing pad reaching forwardly of the band from'the inside and at the bottom there of, said band including a top instep engaging portion of non-elastic material and a bottom portion of elastic material, the instep engaging portion being cut 'low at the upper and lower edges there'ofto bring said portion Well down on the foot and perforated to vensaid pad being less than the width of the shank of the pad, to effectthe transverse arching ofsaid' shank through the elasticity of said band.

2. Ina device of the class described, a yielding foot encircling band'including a top in step engagingportion ofnon-elastic material and a bottom elastic portion completing the band, said top portion being cut low at its upper and lower edges to bring the same well down on the foot of the wearer;

3; -In adevice of the class described, an

elastic foot encircling band and a flexible pad arranged transversely of the band withl in the same, the bottom portion of the band lyingunder the pad, said pad beingsecured at its-side edgesto the band, the distance 7 along the band between the lines of attachment of saidpad to saidband being less than the width of the pad. 1

4.-In a deviceof the class described, an elastic band adapted to be stretched over the foot and a flexible pad arranged transversely of the band within the same, the bottom portion of the'band lying under the pad, said padbeing seamed at the rear end thereof to r and longitudinally of the band, the seamed portion of said band being stretched in the sewing approximately to'that extent to which saidband is stretched when fitted onthe foot.

5. a device of the class described, an elastic band adapted-to be stretched over the foot and a flexible pad arranged transversely 'of the band within the same, the bottom por- 7 tion of the band lying under the pad, said pad being seamed at the rear end thereof to and longitudinally of the band, the seained portion of said band lying forward of the rear edgethereof and being stretched in the sewing approximately to that extent to which said band is stretched when fitted on the'foot.

6. In a device of the class described, an ens: tic foot encircling band and a flexible pad reaching forwardly of said band, the side edges of the shank of said pad being seamed to'the inner side of the lower-portion of said band transversely thereof, the distance along the hand between said seams being less than the width of said shank, said pad including acushion arranged at the forward endthereof and serving to yleldlngly arch said end Y transversely and upwardly. V V

7. In a'device' of the class described, an

elastic foot encircling band and a pad, said the sides of saidbody, said wings together pad including a flexible member secured to with said body serving to yieldingly arch said said band and reaching forwardly thereof, forward end of said member laterally. 10 also a cushion device carried by the forward In testimony whereof, I have signed by V end of said member, said device consistin of name to this specification. I

a body formed with an upper convex sur ace 7 I and yielding wings reaching outward from JOSEPH A. SKOGLUND. 

